What killed legendary singer Aretha Franklin earlier this month at age 76? If you’re like most people following her story, you would answer that she died of pancreatic cancer, as widely reported in the media and confirmed by her doctors. If you’re Motown legend Stevie Wonder, however, the answer is quite different. The singer-songwriter is pinning the blame for her passing on global warming and specifically those who don’t believe in it.

He made the puzzling statement in an appearance on CBS Good Morning the day after her passing. The pair had a longstanding professional relationship and performed together on occasion. Wonder visited her in the days leading up to her death, and although he said she was unable to speak, her family told him she was able to hear him. After saying he prayed for her to recover from her illness, he went on to add that he felt there was a link between the incidence of disease and global warming.

He said: “I just feel that all these various diseases that we have and all these things that are happening in the world in part is because there are those who don’t believe in global warming, don’t believe that what we do affects the world, what we eat affects the world, affects us.”

He went on to add that he hopes people will “grow out of the foolishness.” Not surprisingly, the morning show’s hosts did not challenge his oddball theory. While we know that environmental pollutants can indeed cause or contribute to some cancers, such as air pollution and lung cancer, he isn’t even blaming global warming itself for the cancer – he’s blaming those who don’t believe in it for Franklin’s illness. In other words, if you are skeptical of climate change, you may be responsible for her death.

In addition to somehow contributing to the Queen of Soul’s passing, he also believes you’re a complete idiot if you don’t subscribe to the left’s concept of global warming. During a telethon for hurricane relief last year, he stated that “anyone who believes there is no such thing as global warming must be blind or unintelligent.”

Not only is it in poor taste to exploit a moment that should be used to honor and respect Franklin to further his agenda, but he also appears to be ignoring loads of scientific evidence. More than 31,000 scientists – 9,000 of whom have Ph.D.s – have signed a petition that says global warming is a hoax and that global agreements limiting greenhouse gases are actually hurting life on our planet. That petition is backed by peer-reviewed research; it’s not clear what Wonder is basing his own opinion on.

Doctors confirm cancer as cause of death

According to Franklin’s representatives, the 76-year-old’s official cause of death as confirmed by her oncologist, Dr. Philip Phillips of Detroit’s Karmanos Cancer Center, was advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine variety. She had undergone surgery in 2010 that caused concern among fans, and a relative told the press shortly thereafter that she had cancer.

Apparently what the experts who actually treated her have to say doesn’t count in Wonder’s world, nor do the opinions of thousands of scientists. He might be a musical legend with talent to spare, but Stevie Wonder is not a doctor, nor is he a climate scientist. It’s unfortunate that he feels the need to use his friend’s death as an opportunity to spread liberal propaganda.